Retort-stoking apparatus



A. W. WARNER.

RETORT STOKING APPARATUS'.

APPLICATION FILED APII. 24. I92o.

INVENTOR- I BY 4 ATTORNEY s SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented Deo. 27

LN UNI II? Iw.

A. w. WARNER. HETORT STOKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24| 1920.

Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I IN1/Emol; w, a am ATTORNEY A. W. WARNER.

mom Smm@ APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, 1920.

Patented Dec. 27, 1921.y

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR W. WARNER, OF MEDIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THE AMERICAN GAS COMPANY OF JERSEY, 0F CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RETORT-STOKING APPARATUS.

Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

Application filed April 24, 1920. Serial No. 376,245.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. WARNER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Media, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Retort-Stoking Apparatus, of which the following is atrue and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to an apparatus designed to charge a coal gas retort with coal and to push out from the retort the coke of a former charge and the object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of this sort which will occupy considerably less space in the gas-house than is required by apparatus heretofore employed for similar purposes and which will be adapted to charge the retorts more efficiently and with better disposal of the coal in the retorts than has heretofore been found practical. The leading features of my invention consist in my employment of a horizontal sprocket wheel in combination with a push bar formed of links and adapted to wind `upon the horizontal sprocket wheel and when the links are straightened out to so interengage with each other as to form a self-supportin and fairly stiff bar to the bottom side o which the lli hts are pivotally supported.

'he` nature and detail of m improvements will be best understood as escribed in connection with the drawings in which they are illustratedand in which- Figure 1`is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying my improvements and .with the push bar shown as fully entered into a retort. y

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 a sectional view taken as on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 and shown on an enlarged scale.

Fi 4 is a View showing a portion of a retort 1n vertical section and a ortion of the push bar and nights with t e coal being stoked into the retort, shown in the position it occupies durin the stoking o eration.

Fig. 5`is a simi ar view with t e pushbar in process of retraction showing the coal in the form in which `it is left after the withdrawal of the push bar.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the line 6--6 of Fig. 5. 1

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the center of a portion of these links of the push bar which are adapted to be wound upon the sprocket.

Fig 8 is a side view of one of the links of which the push bar is made up.

Fig. 9 being a cross section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8 and Fig. 10 a cross section on the line 10-10 of Fig. 8.

Fig. ll'is a side View of one of another series of links entering into the composition of the push bar.

.F ig. l2 being a cross section on the line i12- .12 of Fig. 11 and Fig. 13 a cross section on the line 13-13 of Fi 11.

A, 41g. 1 is a car supported by wheels .13, B, traveling on tracks B B and supporting a series of screws A A', etc. which are geared to rotate simultaneously. As shown, two of the screws have attached to their upper ends gear wheels A2 and A3 and the other two of the screws have attached to their upper ends gear wheels A4. A shaft, A, is rotated through a worm wheel A6 by a motor indicated at C and has at its ends gear wheels AT A7 in engagement with the gears A2 A2. A pair of shafts A8 A8 carried by the car A have on their ends gears A, A10 respectively, engaged with the gears A2 and A4. D is a platform supported on ends indicated at D D through which pass the screws A A so that as the screws are rotated the platform is raised or lowered. E is a shaft vertically supported on the platform D, having secured to its lower end a worm wheel E in engagement with a worin E2 driven by a motor indicated at Fia and to the upper end of the shaft is secured the horizontal sprocket wheel indicated at F; F Fl indicating the sprockets extendinov out from the edge of the sprocket wheel. G, G, are horizontal guide ways secured on the platform D. G is a bracket secured to the platform and carrying at its upper end a push bar `guide indicated at G2. G'1 is a similar bracket carrying at its upper end the similar push bar guide indicated at G5, the form of which is best shown in Fig. 3. GS G3 are brackets secured to the platform D and supporting the hopper indicated at H, the form of which is best shown in Fig. 3, H indicatinl its rear edge and H2 its forward edge w ich regulates the height of the coal pushed under it into the retorts. In order to provide for an adjustment on the front edge of the Vhopper I have shown plates indicated at H3 H3 pivoted to the front of the hopper at H4 and held in any desired position as by clamping screws H5 H5. I have indicated at HG rearwardly extending wings forming part ot the hopper and extending back beyond the edge H which are advisable for the proper feed of coal `troni the hopper into the trough. I, I, are trough supporting legs guided by and movable along the guide ways Gr, G, and supporting the trough indicated at I which is shown in retracted position in F 2, and in position for use in charging a retort in Fig. 1. J indicates a retort which .may be of any usual construction and built into a stack in the usual way. K is a guide bar advantageously used to properly guide and aline the links oit the push bar as they pass from engagement with the sprocket wheel. L is a bar or link forming the end of vthe push bar and of greater rlength than the other links of which the push bar is made up. This link, L, does not wind up upon the sprocket wheel. The remaining links of the push bar are made up oi two series of links indicated at L and L2 and these links are to be so pivotally connected with link L and with each other that they will wind up on the sprocket wheel and when, by a reversed movement of the sprocket,

I they are unwound from it they will forma push bar, the component links of which will so interengage with each other as to form a stiff, self-supporting bar which can be projected into a retort without coming in contact and being supported by the bottom of the retort. As shown, and, as I prefer to construct the push bar, the larger links L are formed with pivot pin holes M near but not at the center and with pivot pin holes M at the end more distant from the'pivot pin hole M. On each side of the pivot pin hole M the link is a U shape with tlie openings, however, turned in `ditl'erent directions as indicated at M2 and M3 and along the bottom ot each U is formed a guide groove indicated at M4 and M5. The smaller links L2, shown Vin detail in Figs. 11, l2 and 13, are generally similar in construction, the approximately central pin hole being indicated at N and the end pin hole at l\. The guide grooves are indicated at N4 and N5 and the hollow Us at N2 and N3 and it will be understood that when the links are pivoted together as by pins O, O, (see Fig. 7) the ends of the link L2 when the links are straightened out lie within the Us M2 and M3 of the links L and it'will readily be understood that by this construction the links are so interengaged with each other that a very stift', self-supporting push bar is toianed from them. O O indicate rollers on the pins O, O, the diameters ot these rollers being such that their edges will come flush with or preferably somewhat beyond the bottom ot the guide lgrooves in the links. P, P, etc., are the flights which arc pivotally supported on the bottom ol the links of the push bar, the nights being cut out at their central upper edge as indicated at P and having ears P2 P2 turned back and engaged by a pivot bolt Q2 which is supported by a bracket Q secured to the undcr side ol. the links of the push bar and provided with stops Q which prevent lthc llights ilrom turning backward beyond an approximately vertical position as indicated in Fig. 4:, while permitting them to turn freely lau-kward into the position indicated in Fig. a.

The guideways formed in the link or bar L and correseponding to the guide-ways formed on the sides ot the links L and L2 are indicated at Z, Z, and at It I have indicated a thin plate secured to the top oit the link l and intended to protect it against the heat ot' the retorts. I

To return to the liights l. I have indicated in'Fig. 3 by dotted lines and the symbol that the opening P may be made deeper and I would note in this connection that sonic opening at this point is very desirable it not necessary in order to prevent coal getting in between the Hight and the bottoni ot the push bar and preventing the flight 'from turning upward to the desired position when the push bar is retracted. The lateral edges of the flights P are rearwardly curved as indicated at P3 so that when turned backward to the position, Yfor instance, shown in Fig. 5 they will clear the sides of the retort.

vWhen moving from place to place the push bar is retracted as shown in Fig. Q and the trough I is also retracted. The platform D being shifted to proper registered position with a retort, the trough I is moved into registry with the retort, as shown in Fig. 1, a charge of coal is fed into the hopper and the sprocket wheel is revolved in a clockwise direction unwinding the links ol? the push bar and pushing them through the trough into the retort. As the links of the push ba r move :forward they are properly alincd and supported by the guides G2 and G the latter support affording the last supporting device for the push bar as it passes into the retort. The coal going from the hopper into the trough is pushed through the trough and into the retort and in the retort takes approximately the position in front of and behind the flight indicated in Fig. et and when the retort is fully charged the sprocket is revolved in the opposite direction retracting the push bar and iights, the nights moving upward to the position indicated in Fig. and performing the very important function of leveling off the coalA in the retort as indicated in Figs. 5 and (3; the contour ol" the top llf) of the'coal pi1e as indicated in Fig. 6 being that most desirable for good coking operation.

It will be understood that my invention is not dependent upon the character of the apparatus used for supporting and adjusting the position of the push bar and its mechanisni and also that while I have illustrated my invention in what I believe to be its best and most eiiicient form my claims are not to be understood as specifically limited to the illustrated construction except where such limitation is clearly expressed in the claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described a horizontal sprocket wheel in combination with a push bar made up, of links connected b vertical pivots and adapted to wind on t e sprocket Wheel.

2. n an apparatus of the class described a horizontal s rocket wheel in combination with a push ar made up of links connected b vertical pivots and adapted to wind on ttie sprocket wheel and to interengage with each other when straightened out to form a bar of considerable rigidit 3. In an apparatus of t e class described a horizontal sprocket wheel in connection with a push bar made up of links connected by vertical pivots and adapted to wind on the sprocket wheel and to interengage With each other, when straightened out to form a bar of considerable rigidity and a series of iii hts pivotally supported on the lower si es of the links so as to turn up against the links when the push bar is retracted after char ing a retort.

4. n an apparatus of the class described a horizontal sprocket wheel in combination with a push bar made up of links connected by vertical pivots and adapted to Wind on the sprocket Wheel and to lnterengage with each other, when straightened out to form a bar of considerable rigidity, and a series of flights pivotally supported on the lower sides of the links so as to turn up against the links when the push bar is retracted after charging a retort, said fiights being formed with rearwardly curved lateral edges.

5. In an apparatus of the class described a horizontal sprocket Wheel in combination with a push bar made up of links connected by vertical pivots and adapted to wind on the sprocket wheel and to interengage with each other, when straightened out to form a bar of considerable rigidity and a supporting guide arranged to hold the push bar in proper position in front of a retort.

6. In an apparatus of the class described a platform adjustable in position to re ister with any of a series of retorts, in com ination with a horizontal sprocket Wheel supported on said platform, a push bar made up of a series of links connected by vertical pivots and adapted to Wind on the sprocket and so interengaged when straightened out as to form a self-sup orting bar, a trough adjustable on the plat orm to forni a conduit to a retort and a hopper for feeding coal to said trough.

ARTHUR W. WARNER. 

